The Fall of Gilgalad, Unabridged
by chisscientist
Summary: The Lay of The Fall of Gil-galad as the epic poem it was meant to be.
1. The War in Mordor

Disclaimer: This Lay is a continuation and completion of the fragment written in JRR Tolkien's _The Lord of the Rings_. The first canto is quoted directly from page 249 of _The Fellowship of the Ring_.

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Canto One: Gil-galad

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Gil-galad was an Elven-king.

Of him the harpers sadly sing:

The last whose realm was fair and free

Between the Mountains and the Sea.

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His sword was long, his lance was keen,

His shining helm afar was seen;

The countless stars of heaven's field

Were mirrored in his silver shield.

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But long ago he rode away,

And where he dwelleth none can say;

For into darkness fell his star

In Mordor where the shadows are.

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Canto Two: Sauron

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In the tower in the black land,

Wielding the Ring on a burning hand:

Sauron the accursed made his lair,

A being feared or hated everywhere.

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When Arda itself was caused to be,

Mairon sang in the chorus bright and free:

But far has he fallen since that day,

The horror he wrought none can fully say.

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When Numenor slid into the sea,

Many thought Sauron had ceased to be:

But a Maia is terribly hard to kill,

A dark cloud rose and fled until...

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Sauron strode through the Barad-dur,

Plotting war anew against Isildur:

Isildur did Minas Ithil flee,

Down the Anduin to the sea.

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Canto Three: A Last Alliance

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In Arnor Council the High Kings took,

A decision they made that Middle-earth shook:

Together they would go and bring a war,

To break Sauron's tower in dark Mordor.

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While neither alone could hold out long,

Against Sauron and his armies strong:

Together maybe men and elves

Could win a future for themselves.

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So out they went and gathered then,

All they could find of elves and men:

Dwarves and ents and eagles too,

All who were to freedom true.

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Across the Misty Mountains then,

Across rivers wide and marshy fen:

Armies ponderous made their way,

Heading to Mordor to Sauron slay.

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Canto Four: The War in Mordor

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Dark and drear was Mordor's sky,

ash and poison there did lie:

dark and drear was Mordor's land,

Twisted rock and barren sand.

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Orcs in uncounted hideous hordes,

Men - dark Numenorean lords:

armies bright in red and gold,

but their strength to evil sold.

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Men from south and from the east,

Trolls that would on people feast:

Beasts of horror grey and great,

And worst the Nazgul all do hate.

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Amdir, Oropher, and Anarion,

the list of dead went on and on:

Even if they won the war,

Lost were these to Middle-earth's shore.

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Gil-galad knew all this full well,

And he knew more he would not tell:

Even if the war was won,

The Age of Men would be begun.

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Too many elves had fallen here,

Loss too deep of ones held dear:

Victory now would mean the end,

Of much he had striven to defend.

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But better death than darkness win,

That nought be left but hate and sin:

In any case the spear was cast,

The time for choice long since had passed.

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A/N: There will be more...


	2. The Black Gate Opens

Canto Five: Barad-dur Opens

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The new day opened drear and thin,

As many days long since had been:

But this day different was to be,

The end of an Age it soon would see.

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Just after dawn a crash was heard,

All turned with thoughts that seemed absurd:

They gazed towards the Barad-dur,

As outward swung the iron door.

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Outward the last defense of dark,

Nazgul, orcs and the most stark:

A blue-black wyrm of terrible dread,

Before whose gaze most froze or fled.

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Yet hope was high that sunless day,

With the tower emptied who could say -

As Sauron his final strength did spend,

But that his power was at an end.

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Fierce battle raged that day,

The wyrm at last was brought to bay:

Glorfindel twice-born slew the beast,

Finally fighting almost ceased.

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Still one unknown then remained,

Where is Sauron? Elendil exclaimed:

To Gil-galad as they briefly met,

While sun unseen above did set.

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Gil-galad paled and raised his hand,

As far as he could the battlefield scanned:

Yet despite his keenest stare,

Sauron simply wasn't there.


	3. Pursuit

Canto Six: Pursuit

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But as he turned back to his friend,

A movement his eye did attend:

A shadow on the mountain's side,

That could not in dimness hide.

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Without a word he turned his horse,

And raced upon a newfound course:

For the road to Sammath Naur,

He raced in the war's final hour.

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Behind him Elrond followed then,

Elendil called out to his men:

After me, the causeway now!

Sauron's escape they must not allow.

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If Sauron managed to slip away,

And lived to fight another day:

All their sacrifice was for nought,

For nothing died all those who fought.

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Down the causeway's length they raced,

Distance narrowed to those they chased:

Gil-galad seemed sped on wings,

More like star than son of kings.

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Sauron then abandoned guile,

Onto the causeway he came in style:

Guard of trolls and evil men,

Race for turn to Morgul then.

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The slow trolls behind were left,

Piling rocks full-great in heft:

Across the road to bar their path,

But Gil-galad at them did laugh.

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Jumped the rocks leaving trolls behind,

Trolls then tried to more rocks find:

To slow the path of those behind,

Elrond frantic to his king find.

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Just at the turn Gil-galad caught,

Guards and Sauron whom he sought:

The guards all tried to bar his way,

But Aeglos' wrath they could not stay.

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Aeglos blazed a brilliant white,

Searing away oncoming night;

Seeming to dim the baleful ire,

Of the great Orodruin's fire.

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Half the men then turned and fled,

Thinking they would soon be dead;

Those who had remained true,

Found their swords broken in two.

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Behind them Sauron turned away

To Sammath Naur he made his way:

Gil-galad followed through the shade,

Speeding to where the Ring was made.


End file.
